Bevin Cohen is an author, herbalist, gardener, seed saver, educator, and owner of Small House Farm in Michigan. Cohen offers workshops and lectures across the country on the benefits of living closer to the land through seeds, herbs, and locally grown food, and he has published numerous works on these topics, including the bestselling Saving Our Seeds and his highly anticipated new book, The Artisan Herbalist (New Society ’21). He serves on the board of the International Herb Association and the advisory council for the Community Seed Network. Learn more about Cohen’s work on his website www.smallhousefarm.com.
Bevin is speaking in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Kansas and is a contributor to Mother Earth News Fair Online.Workshops
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Swaps and Seed Libraries
Learn all about the important role that seed swaps and seed libraries play in a preserving history, building community and supporting a localized food system. Bevin will not only highlight the significance of these programs, but will also show you the steps to establish a seed library or organize a seed swap for your community!
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
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Seed-Saving Basics
Build a firm foundation of seed-saving knowledge with this introductory, 101-style video. Learn the difference between heirloom, hybrid, and GMO seeds; gather the equipment you'll need for successful seed harvesting; and discover why this traditional practice is still so valuable today!
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
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Seed Swaps and Seed Libraries: How to Build Sustainable Communities by Sharing Seeds
This energetic presentation from author Bevin Cohen highlights the importance of community seed-sharing programs. Learn why planting, saving, and sharing seeds is essential to the cultivation of sustainable neighborhoods and healthy communities. Discover how to organize a seed swap, establish a seed library, and cultivate healthy changes for your community, from the soil up.
Nature and Community Hands On
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Seed Swap Social
Join Bevin Cohen from Small House Farm and Ira Wallace from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange at the Seed Swap Social in Lawrence, KS. This event will include seed-saving stories. Don’t miss out on this great chance to learn about seed-saving in a friendly environment, hosted by experts, and pick up some seeds of your own!
Organic Gardening Hands On
Speaking At:
Kansas, Saturday 6:30-7:30 p.m., Mother Earth News Stage
Seed Stories
Learn how the living history of our heirloom seeds is just as important as the seeds themselves. In this video, Bevin shares exciting tales of heritage fruits and vegetables that have traveled the world, influencing the countries and cultures they encountered along the way. By saving and sharing seeds, we're also saving the history, cultures, and stories of the many generations of growers that have tended these precious seeds before us.
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
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Seed Storage Basics
Once you've learned to harvest and clean your precious seeds, you'll need to know how to properly package and store them to maintain their health and viability! In this video, Bevin walks us through the various storage options available to the seed saver to help the viewer determine which method is best suited to their needs. This video also shows examples of seed storage from a number of well-known seed vaults around the world, including the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault located in Norway!
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
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Pollination and Varietal Purity
In order to be a successful seed saver, one must first understand how seeds are made! This video is packed full of useful information on flower structure and pollination, isolation distancing, blossom bagging and hand pollination techniques to ensure true-to-type seed purity
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
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Make Your Own All-Natural Bug Spray
Learn how to make your own all natural, herbal bug spray with herbalist and author Bevin Cohen! In this two-part workshop, you will learn how to make herbal tinctures and infusions that you can use to create your own insect repellant using herbs that can be grown or gathered from your own backyard!
Natural Health Hands On
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Living an Herbal Life: Crafting Teas, Tinctures, and Oils Hands-on Workshop
Join herbalist and author Bevin Cohen for a fun and informative herbal exploration. Discover the benefits of various cultivated and foraged herbs, and explore why developing a relationship with our herbal allies is more important now than ever before. Learn more about the histories and uses of many herbs, as well as the basics of crafting a number of herbal wellness products. Bevin will demonstrate how to craft high-quality herbal tinctures and oils, and attendees will each receive a special herbal salve to take home!
Note: The purchase of this pass allows entrance to this single hands-on workshop. Space is limited. For admission to stage workshops (all non-hands-on workshops), please purchase a general admission ticket.
Natural Health Hands On
Speaking At:
Pennsylvania, Saturday 2:00-3:00 p.m., Hands-On Demonstrations
Kansas, Sunday 11:30-12:30 p.m., Hands-On Stage
Living an Herbal Life: Crafting teas, tinctures and oils at home
Join herbalist and author Bevin Cohen for a fun and informative herbal exploration. Discover the benefits of various cultivated and foraged herbs and explore why developing a relationship with our herbal allies is more important now than ever before. Learn more about the histories and uses of many herbs as well as the basics of crafting a number of herbal wellness products.
Natural Health Hands On
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Let’s Talk Tomatoes: America’s Favorite Fruit
Everybody loves tomatoes, but how much do you actually know about this tasty fruit's fascinating history? Author and seed saver Bevin Cohen will share exciting tales of how this South American fruit traveled around the world and back, influencing the cuisines and cultures of the many countries it encountered along its journey. Discover tips and tricks to maximize your tomato harvest. Learn just how easy it is to preserve this important history as Bevin demonstrates how to harvest tomato seeds.
Real Foods
Speaking At:
Pennsylvania, Saturday 10:00-11:00 a.m., Countryside
Kansas, Saturday 10:00-11:00 a.m., Real Food Stage
Harvesting and Processing Wet Seeds
Many of our favorite garden crops produce "wet seeds." Bevin shows us just how easy it is to harvest, clean, and process these types of seeds; including melons, squash, and peppers. Learn tips and tricks to quickly extract ground cherry, tomatillo, and eggplant seeds, as well as how and why to ferment certain seeds, such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
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Harvesting and Processing Dry Seeds
This is where the seed-saving fun begins! In this video, Bevin demonstrates various methods for harvesting and cleaning "dry seeds," including threshing, screening, and winnowing. Learn how to thresh and winnow a number of different seed types, including beans, peas, radishes, and kale!
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
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Growing Herbs for Health and Happiness
Herbalist and author Bevin Cohen shows us just how easy it is to grow our own herbs for health and happiness! Learn how to cultivate, harvest and process a wide variety of different plants that you can use to craft teas, tinctures, liniments, vinegars and more. Bevin will share some of his favorite recipes and plenty of advice from his more than two decades as a practicing herbalist.
Natural Health
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Cold-Pressed Oils: Home-Scale Extraction for the Farm or Homestead
Learn how to produce high-quality seed and nut oils from homegrown and foraged crops. Whether you plan to produce oils for cooking, the apothecary, self-sufficiency, resiliency, or small-scale commercial or community production, Bevin will show you everything you need to know to succeed. Sharing his decade of experience as an oil presser, Bevin will discuss growing and processing oilseeds; equipment options for ease, cost, and convenience; as well as best-practice techniques for filtering, storing, and using your freshly pressed oils.
Modern Homesteading
Speaking At:
Pennsylvania, Sunday 11:30-12:30 p.m., Mountain Rose Herbs Stage
Kansas, Sunday 2:00-3:00 p.m., Real Food Stage